Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Three Questions with Gary Blair
Mar 19, 2020 | Women's Basketball
What were your thoughts on the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament?
"It was hard to have thoughts on it. Because sometimes that was selfish on our parts as players and coaches. That is because of what was going on worldwide. We had to look at the big picture instead of the small picture. Of course we wanted to play, but realistically the decisions that were made were the right decisions. It hurt as a competitor, as a coach and it hurt for the seniors. It was hard even for the young kids that this would have been their first NCAA Tournament."
What did you tell your team?
"We told them to stay together as much as they could. We also understood if their parents wanted them back home. Nine out of my 12 kids are still here because they want to do what is best for their academics. Being able to get ahead on their online work is important to them. It is new to them and something they are having to figure out. My kids were really disappointed, but they are realists as well. They want to be safe and they want everybody to be safe, including their families. They took it in stride, and maybe better than any of us adults. I mean, my gosh, our world just stopped and what do we do now? Our kids adjusted very quickly and did a great job with it."
What are you and your staff doing with the time you have now?
"Coach Bob Starkey is working on breaking down every game that we had this season. My video coordinator is putting videos together that we will need for next year. My two assistants, Kelly Bond-White and Amy Wright, are working on their inbounds plays or recruiting. We are trying to navigate the recruitment because we are not allowed to have official visits. We are trying to figure out what we can do and be creative. Nobody is just sitting at home though. We are all working and staying in touch with our current players and next year's players."
"It was hard to have thoughts on it. Because sometimes that was selfish on our parts as players and coaches. That is because of what was going on worldwide. We had to look at the big picture instead of the small picture. Of course we wanted to play, but realistically the decisions that were made were the right decisions. It hurt as a competitor, as a coach and it hurt for the seniors. It was hard even for the young kids that this would have been their first NCAA Tournament."
What did you tell your team?
"We told them to stay together as much as they could. We also understood if their parents wanted them back home. Nine out of my 12 kids are still here because they want to do what is best for their academics. Being able to get ahead on their online work is important to them. It is new to them and something they are having to figure out. My kids were really disappointed, but they are realists as well. They want to be safe and they want everybody to be safe, including their families. They took it in stride, and maybe better than any of us adults. I mean, my gosh, our world just stopped and what do we do now? Our kids adjusted very quickly and did a great job with it."
What are you and your staff doing with the time you have now?
"Coach Bob Starkey is working on breaking down every game that we had this season. My video coordinator is putting videos together that we will need for next year. My two assistants, Kelly Bond-White and Amy Wright, are working on their inbounds plays or recruiting. We are trying to navigate the recruitment because we are not allowed to have official visits. We are trying to figure out what we can do and be creative. Nobody is just sitting at home though. We are all working and staying in touch with our current players and next year's players."
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